Emerging Brands Podcast

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Nicole Di Pietro, vice president of Jeremiah's Italian Ice talks about brand standards, franchising, and maintaining a strong local presence. Di Pietro, who started in hospitality when she was thirteen years old at a local bakery, says even though she worked there all four years of high school, she never thought that her long-term career would end up in the hospitality industry. She went to college and got a job at Tijuana Flats, where she continued working for twenty years before joining Jeremiah’s Italian Ice. Di Pietro refers to herself as a lifer in the industry. In 2016 Di Pietro joined Jeremiah’s Italian Ice as vice president preparing the brand for growth. She says one of the main reasons she wanted to be a part of the brand was their culture. “The culture is really what drew me in. Just having a servant heart and passion for people was really important for me to align myself with a brand that matched my personal core values and would be able to continue to scale tha

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Andy Wiederhorn, chief executive officer of FAT Brands talks about the impact of the pandemic on FAT Brands, partnering with third party delivery, and the benefits of becoming a franchisee. Wiederhorn shares with us the impact the pandemic had on FAT Brands saying, “The impact of the pandemic on FAT Brands was really challenging because we have multiple categories of restaurant companies, we have QSR brands, we have fast casual brands, we have casual dining brands and polished casual dining brands. So the effect here across our different brands was different in each category.” He adds, “the brands that were the most resilient of course were the QSR brands and the fast casual brands that always had delivery and togo and they went from thirty or forty percent delivery and to eighty five percent delivery and togo.” FAT Brands has fifteen different brands including Johnny Rockets, Hot Dog on a Stick, Marble Slab Creamery, Pretzelmaker, Round Table Pizza, Great American Cookie C

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Michele Waits, Vice President Marketing of illycaffè North America, Inc., talks about the brand's history, new real estate opportunities, and direct to consumer trends. Waits shares the long history of illycaffè, saying “The history of Illy is relatively long I think for many coffee companies. It was founded in 1933 in Trieste Italy which is an important port city for europe and in a place where all coffee comes into Europe and it's a family company so we are in the third generation of the illy family playing an important role in managing the company. There is a heritage of both. Rich Italian coffee culture but also innovation with the illy brand and the illy family are known to be the first to bring an espresso machine to the marketplace many years ago.” Adding, Illy has been around for more than 80 years and has been in the US for a little over 20 years and we are happy to say that we are making it as I mentioned a concerted effort to really grow our presence here in the

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Micha Magid, co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque talks about his transition to foodservice from mergers and acquisitions and how Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque is building a brand. Magid shares how the brand started with his stepbrother Hugh Mangum’s pop-up version of Mighty Quinn's Barbeque at weekend food markets in Brooklyn. The success of the pop-ups led the three partners Mangum, Gourmos, and Magid to bring this concept to brick and mortar. Magid became an investor until the brand took off and then they left their day jobs to build the brand. Magid says he thinks of Mighty Quinn’s more of a brand whose mission is to bring authentic barbeque to areas where it doesn't exist. Magid also talks about expanding, from the owner of corporate restaurants to becoming a franchisor. Seeing demand on the franchisee side, Mighty Quinn’s brought a differentiated restaurant concept to new markets. He also shares what additional opportunities they also identif

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Lionel Ladouceur, CEO of LE DUFF Americas, the parent company of la Madeleine, talks about his early beginning as a fast food executive with Mcdonalds in Canada and then moving on to Burger King. Ladouceur met Louis Le Duff during his time in manufacturing and eventually joined the Le Duff team as chief executive officer. In 1983 the original founder of la Madeleine moved from France to Dallas, not able to find french pastries in a place known for barbeque, la Madeleine bakery and cafe opened. Ladouceur talks about it’s cult-like following, how Group Le Duff purchased the brand in 2001, and three decades of building a brand. Ladouceur says the brand has a strong focus on digital marketing but he knew they needed to be able to have store level marketing to make sure they are reaching all of their local customers. At la Madeleine, Ladouceur says, they are constantly reviewing menu innovation while keeping the french heritage and their culinary expertise combined with what th

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Matt Ensero, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wing It On! talks about his motivation to open a wing concept restaurant and why he opened in his hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut. Plus, he shares his pillars for achieving national success and what a franchisee can expect from Wing It On! as a partner. Ensero says, there are three factors in order to get that authentic buffalo wing, they are the crispiness of the wings, the sauce itself and the dipping sauce. He explains how Wing It On! delivers on those three factors. The poultry shortage would impact many businesses but Ensero said they were able to minimize the effects and he shares how they were able to offset that challenge. Wing It On! was able to partner with suppliers to keep costs low and was guaranteed allotment as a restaurant partner. Ensero shares his decision to become a franchise, the steps he took to become one, and what they look for in a franchisee. He wants his partners to be a fellow “wing nut” and

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Mark Setterington, President and Chief Executive Officer of Island Fin Poke Company talks about taking a leap of faith, creating a restaurant brand from scratch, and the importance of feeling welcomed like family at his restaurants. Setterington shares how he met Paul Reas at Bahama Breeze fifteen years ago and how their friendship would bring them together to create Island Fin Poke Company. He tells the story of Paul quitting his job, heading to meet Setterington in Las Vegas where he was working at the time and the impact a road trip dedicated to eating would have in their menu. All of the recipes for Island Fin Poke were developed in Setterington’s home and tested by friends and family. Setterington spent nine weeks in Hawaii and never had poke, his love for Hawaii came from the culture because it is all about family. He treats his vendors, guests and franchisees.Setterington says, when they decided to do their own thing it was about building a lifestyle, not a job. He

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Ross Mackay, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Daring Foods, talks about how becoming a vegan athlete, his competitive background and his devotion to a healthy lifestyle contributed to the launch of Daring Foods in 2018. Mackay wanted to create a plant-based protein that mimics the real taste, texture and macro nutrients as chicken.  He was determined to crack the code on a better-for-you plant-based chicken and his drive was to positively impact the planet and human health. Mackay says that the single aim for Daring Foods was to remove poultry from the food system. Daring Foods focuses on growth, employees and adding retailers. Mackay talks about attracting great investors, the Series B funding and going from two to fifty employees in just a few months.  “It's an exciting time for us at Daring, there is a huge amount of momentum, especially in distribution,”says Mackay. “Moving from four hundred days ago we were in three hundred doors, this year we will see more th

Anthony Russo, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Russo’s New York Pizzeria and Italian Kitchen talks about how he got started in the restaurant business, his family’s influence, and developing an international brand. Russo shares how he opened his first restaurant in Texas, it was a small little pizzeria, five hundred square feet with a pizza oven, dough mixer, and two tables. He had a dream to start a franchise business and teach people how to make pizza and pasta. After several years in development, Russo opened a larger store in Houston and then began franchising. SOURCE: https://www.nypizzeria.com/SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.NYPIZZERIA.COM/After Russo attended food show’s domestically he decided to go to an international show, and he headed to Dubai. He exhibited at the show and served his pizza’s on site. Curious to see how pizza tasted locally, Russo discovered there was a need for authentic pizza in the Middle East. He partnered with a local franchisee in the market and continues to grow the business int

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Andy Howard, President and Chief Executive Officer of Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders talks about thirty-five years ago when he got his start as a marketing director in the restaurant industry. Howard explains why his career choices have earned him the name chicken expert. First chicken stop started with Kenny Rogers Roasters, which was the whole chicken, then moved to the chicken breast at Ranch One a small chain in New York at that time. Howard’s third stop as Executive Vice President of Wingstop, where the menu consisted of just wings. Howard had been traveling for ten years between South Florida and Texas with Wingstop and it was time for him to get off the road. He talks about looking for his next life, he wanted to stay in the chicken business and began his quest to find the greatest chicken tenders. Howard's journey takes him to Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders based in Orlando, he acquired the company. Huey Magoo’s Chicken Tenders was a perfect fit for Howard’s plan. He ta

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Sandra Noonan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Just Salad, home of the world’s largest restaurant reusable program, talks about the Just Salad concept with a mission to make everyday health and everyday sustainability possible. Just Salad is a restaurant chain founded in 2006 in New York City and their cause empowers customers to eat with a purpose. When it comes to leading the brand, prioritizing sustainability is at the top of Noonan’s list. Just Salad is the first United States restaurant chain to carbon label its menu and has partnered with research scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, Tulane University, and Harvard University to study the effects of its carbon labels on consumer behavior. Noonan shares how she reached out prior to her joining the team, to the Chief Executive Officer and founder of Just Salad, Nick Kenner. Kenner was tired of plastic salad bowls piling up in trash bins and thought there had to be a better way. The philosophy behind there must b

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Carl Howard, Chief Executive Officer of Fazoli’s shares his restaurant and franchise experience, Fazoli’s double-digit growth and the brand's significant expansion plans. Howard takes us back to his humble beginning as a busboy at Bill Knapps when he was sixteen. He had various roles at restaurants and at age twenty Howard got his first management position at The Elephant Bar. Next he became the general manager at one of his father-in-law’s italian restaurants. Eventually Howard moves his way through the ranks at Damon’s Grill, he became a franchisee of the restaurant and later became the Chief Executive Officer. Shortly after, Howard had an opportunity to join Fazoli's team in 2008. Howard talks about Fazoli's interesting history that started thirty-three years ago, it’s rocky beginning, and how cod played a part in the brand. Today Fazoli’s has 215 locations and continues to grow rapidly, they will open fifteen to twenty locations this year. Fazoli’s model combined with

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Kelly Roddy, President and Chief Executive Officer of WOWorks, talks about the early beginning of his career at Walmart. Roddy worked up through the ranks and learned leadership and business skills. He moved to Scholastic Books and then back to the retail segment with HEB, a large retail grocer out of Texas. Roddy’s first restaurant job was CEO at Schlotzsky’s under the FOCUS Brands umbrella. In 2019 Roddy started at SaladWorks as the Chief Executive Officer with the intent to create a holding company to bring in several good for you brands. WOWorks set out to acquire brands well positioned for a guest that has educated themselves on food as fuel. WOWorks added three additional brands to the portfolio with plans to add more. Roddy discusses the pandemic and the difficult time it was for the restaurant industry. He talks about supporting his franchise partners, working closely with the community, and giving back to first responders. The brand’s growth was also a priority foc

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Anita Adams, Chief Executive Officer of Black Bear Diner, talks about her unusual path from being a certified public accountant to landing in the restaurant industry. Adams shares her transition from Chief Financial Officer and her commitment to fiercely protect the brand that is one of the fastest-growing franchises in the country. Adams took over as Chief Executive Officer shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a dramatic impact on the restaurant industry. As a leader Adams had to navigate through the challenges that came along with running fifty corporate diners and close to ninety franchise diners. It was important to protect their teams at the diner and ensure long term viability for franchise partners. Adams shares that they want Black Bear Diner employees just starting out or have been with them to have a clear career track with the company. Their employees have defined positions and know how they will be promoted within the system. Especially a

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Ashley Morris, Chief Executive Officer of Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop and the newly acquired Wing Zone, talks about growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and going to school for finance. Morris shares how his best friend introduced him to Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop when he came home from school. Ashley Morris was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Las Vegas. He went to school for finance and he started early in his career in financial services and portfolio management with Wells Fargo. While in college, his best friend Jason introduced Morris to Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop. Morris gets around to going to Capriotti’s and because he had a love for cheese steaks, he orders the sandwich. Morris says, “This was the greatest cheese steak I had ever eaten of all the cheese steaks that I had eaten.” Morris became passionate about the food at Capriotti’s and sometimes would eat it twice a day!While at Wells Fargo, Morris wanted to diversify and find a side business with his best friend. They

On this episode of Emerging Brands, Andrew Pudalov, founder and CEO of Rush Bowls, talks about the trigger and emotion that drove him from New York City to Boulder, Colorado and the need to create a healthy meal.

In this episode, Akash Kapoor, Co-Founder, CEO, and self-described “Chief Troublemaker” at Curry Up Now, shares the biggest challenges he’s encountered growing the company, if he thinks ethnic fast-casual restaurants face a different set of roadblocks than more traditional offerings do, and why the restaurant-bar duel concept is becoming a key part of their brand.

In this podcast episode, Charlie Guzzetta, chief brand development officer at BurgerFi, shares how BurgerFi keeps customers coming back with their NAE (no antibiotics ever) beef, how they’re expanding into nontraditional spaces such as airports and military bases, and why offering plant-based options is an essential part of their business model.

As they drove from Los Angeles to Phoenix for a bike race, Field Failing and a group of his cyclist friends grew hungrier by the minute, and frustrated with the lack of healthy offerings they had on the road. Eventually stopping at a Subway, Failing wondered why there weren’t more accessible options for him to get lean protein, whole grains, and fresh vegetables to fuel his long rides. So, he started Fields Good Chicken in 2014, focusing on the protein he’d been obsessed with for most of his life. While many fast-casual restaurants focus on fried chicken, Fields Good Chicken opts for a 24-hour slow roasting process to make their signature “damn good” poultry. In this episode, Failing shares how he has succeeded in his mission to deliver superior chicken and give back to his community.

Veza Sur is a craft brewery located in the heart of Miami’s Wynwood district. Every drink is influenced by or infused with Latin-American flavors.